When Mater Dei Catholic opened its doors in 2007 after being relocated from Imperial Beach where it was known as Marian Catholic, Crusaders alumni had to consider the new facility a palace by comparison — especially the athletic facilities.

At Marian, the old football field had lights that didn’t cause anyone to shield their eyes due to the glare. When built, the gym was as good as any but it was showing wear. Couldn’t use the asphalt tennis courts except to practice because of limited space.

From the beginning at Mater Dei Catholic the goal was a first-class football field; a gymnasium, baseball and softball fields second to none in the South Bay; and most recently a 25-yard by 40-meter swimming pool where the Metro Conference held its championships last spring.

That pool is one of only two in the entire Metro Conference housed on campus — the other being Mar Vista. Of the original goals, the only facilities awaiting construction are the tennis courts.

It was not just a wild expenditure of funds to one-up their rivals, but a vital component mirroring the school’s belief that athletics — like all co-curricular activities — add to a students’ overall well-roundedness, Principal George Milke said.

“Colleges and universities look for those students who are in co-curricular activities as well as being good students (in the regular classroom),” said Milke, a Marian grad who has extensive background in both academics and athletics and helped oversee the building of the new high school.

He’s heard the words: Couldn’t the money used for athletic facilities be better spent on additional classrooms, a theater, a computer center or a chapel?

“We have all of those,” he said proudly, “and because of the economy, the pool cost was $1.8 million compared to $3.1 million five years earlier. That’s when Hurricane Katrina hit and the price of steel went way up. I had a son on the water polo team at the time but we just couldn’t afford it.

“With (coaches) Kevin Smith and Guy Souza watching over everything, the pool came out just the way we wanted. It was good to see all the Metro League schools here and we didn’t hear any complaints.”

That doesn’t answer the question of whether athletics, like drama or music or ASB activities, are important or just a diversion?

“They’re all important to the overall high school experience,” Milke said. “In athletics, for example, you learn how to win and how to handle a loss. The old adage is that athletics mirror life, and they do. In life you have to be able to handle setbacks and appreciate success.

“Sometimes you learn a lot about yourself from failure — how do you respond? If you have been through losses and disappointment in sports, it helps you handle real-life situations. You learn in sports it’s OK to lose as long as you’ve given your best. The opponent was better that day so what do you do now to improve?”

Life lessons.

Milke said that often it’s an underpaid coach who becomes an important figure to students, making an impression that sometimes lasts a lifetime.

Asked if the rest of the Metro Conference, all public schools, would agree with his assessment of the importance of athletics, Milke says that they would, without a doubt.

“Athletics are a focal point at every school and they develop those programs as best they can with what they have,” he said. “I’ve been impressed with (the administrators) and I think athletics in the Metro Conference are better now than ever. At Mater Dei Catholic, we’re just trying to catch up.”